At first glance, there aren’t many redeeming factors to recently losing your job. No one relishes insecurity. And for many who have bills to pay and possibly other people to support, getting laid off can be one of the most stressful experiences they will ever have to face. Over the past several months in particular, unemployment has become a distressing and rampant side effect of an already concerning international health crisis.
If European and American job markets weren’t struggling before, they certainly are in the wake of the COVID-19. Countless individuals have lost their jobs as either a direct or indirect result of the virus’ threat to public safety across the globe. Unemployment has become all too common and a large portion of society has been left to create their own solutions. Unemployment benefits are being strained and job scarcity is on the rise.
When anyone leaves work without a job to return to the next day, the natural reaction is to scramble to find something new. People are having to take lateral or backwards steps in their careers to put food on their tables. For those who work in hospitality or customer service, their whole domain has suddenly gone dormant. And in a job market that was over-saturated before health precautions overran it, many are left reassuring themselves that “something is better than nothing.”
Working adults midway through their careers are having to take jobs previously occupied by recent college grads. So where does that leave the incoming workforce with little to no experience? The combination of economic decline and pandemic imposed closures has left people of all ages and in all lines of work unsure of where to go next and competing to deliver your next pad thai.
But with a creative approach and an openness to sizable change, prospective employees can transform getting laid off from an end into a beginning. Being temporarily unemployed doesn’t have to be taxing. Rather, it could be the perfect opportunity to embark on a new adventure you would have never risked otherwise. Maybe turning to lower positions in your own field isn’t the answer. You have the power to turn toward something entirely new!
Why rush back into a less than satisfying employment situation when the universe is trying to set you free? Perhaps you should take advantage of this time to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t because your 9 to 5 stood in the way. Let yourself be re-routed and become reacquainted with your interests. It could be as simple as learning a new skill or hobby. You could enroll in that course you’ve always wanted to take online. But for many, travel is the dream that keeps passing them by.
Never had time to see the beaches of Costa Rica, Machu Picchu or Tikal? Well, now you do! The obvious questions of money and travel restrictions might be deterring you. But if you consider teaching English as a second language, you can solve multiple problems in one blow. Traveling and teaching ESL could help you accomplish something you’ve always wanted to do and be your new job as well. Financial problems solved and a change of pace at the same time.
And as travel restrictions begin to relax, there are already countries that have reopened to travelers. So do your research before you go but don’t feel like you can’t leave home. If you are concerned about your own health, however, consider launching your English teaching career online. The online alternative to the onsite TEFL program, is more flexible and affordable, and may quiet some of your doubts during this time.
A wide range of English schools are also hiring online. Virtual learning is becoming a bigger and bigger market in which you can apply. Maybe you’ll find that you love how much autonomy you have over your hours teaching online and never look back. But another advantage of developing new skills now, is that you’ll have diversified your resume when you are ready to begin physically traveling. Go now or prepare now to go later.
And don’t feel like this advice is age-restricted. Yes, many travelers are in their twenties but more than you’d think are not. Fed up with the competition and stress of the job world, more and more middle-aged people and beyond are exploring TEFL jobs. There’s no reason for teaching English abroad to be only a gap year adventure. It can become a sustainable second or even third career.
Retired classroom teachers or anyone that doesn’t want to “retire” as much as they want to move on are beginning to make up a more significant portion of the ESL instructor demographic. So whether you were laid off or are actively looking for change, living and teaching abroad could be the perfect opportunity for you at any age.
If you’re in between jobs, at one you hate or just about to graduate, explore the world of teaching English as a foreign language. Losing your job might instigate this significant lifestyle change but you could make it happen either way. Rather than fretting over the cut-throat job market you’re in, expand your application prospects. And before you know it you might be relaxing on your veranda in Latin America wondering why you didn’t do this years ago.